Getting ready to travel over Thanksgiving or Christmas? Get ready for some big changes.
1. Luggage. If you're checking bags, chances are good you're going to pay to do so. Currently, Delta, Northwest, USAir and Continental are charging $15 in each direction -- $30 round trip -- for your very first bag. Whether or not you actually have to pay next month depends on when you bought your ticket. Right now, Alaska Airlines still allows you a free bag. Take a moment and check with your travel agent or the airline directly to see what your total cost will be.
2. Meals. Remember them? They used to be free. No more -- except on Continental Airlines. You're better off to pick up a sandwich or a salad at one of the airport shops. In fact, it's a good idea to have some snacks tucked away in case of a delay. If you're traveling on USAirways on their nonstop flight to Phoenix, be ready to pay even for water and soft drinks.
3. Cash. Usually, you can use regular old greenbacks to pay for things like in-flight meals and entertainment. Not on Alaska Airlines. Your money is no good on their flights. You must pay with a credit card -- no checks, either.
4. The TSA. I have to do a mental adjustment before approaching the security checkpoint at airports. I suggest you do the same. Before you get to the airport, you're wise to check the TSA's Web site -- www.tsa.gov -- for the latest security no-no list. Before approaching the checkpoint, I take my cell phone, my camera, my watch and all the change and pens in my pockets and dump them into my carry-on bag. I have my boarding pass and my ID out and ready to present. If you're carrying any personal toiletries like perfume, toothpaste, skin cream or mouthwash, have them stuffed in the little plastic bag before you arrive.
Aside from the hassles at the airport, it's still worth it to get out of town and enjoy new places. I had lunch last month with Darnell Sue in Seattle. She writes a blog for the local paper, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, called "Girl About Town." It's a great resource for Alaskans heading to Seattle for a football game or some holiday shopping.
We dined at a new restaurant called Juno at the corner of Third Avenue and Cherry Street. It's in the lobby of the new Arctic Club Hotel, about halfway between Pioneer Square and Pike Place Market. It's an easy walk to either destination.
Alaskans will feel right at home at the Arctic Club Hotel. Originally founded in 1908 by successful Alaska explorers who returned with their money to Seattle, the new hotel opened using the Alaska theme earlier this year after a complete renovation.
Photos of the original owners hang in the lobby. Alaska art is everywhere. The rooms feature classic touches, including warm wool blankets that look as if they were used on one of the steamships. But there are modern conveniences as well, including in-room French press coffee makers, high ceilings, free internet and oversized bathrooms with fancy soaps and shampoos.
Scott McMurren is an Anchorage-based travel marketing consultant. Contact him via his travel blog at www.alaskatravelgram.com.
Scott's tips
• Darnell Sue's blog: Follow some of Seattle's hippest happenings:
blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/girlabouttown
• MINI-MOTEL: Check out this self-contained mini-tent for unplanned airport layovers. $50 includes mattress, mini-tent, eyeshades, reading light, alarm clock and earplugs.
• POWER BREAKFAST: We dined by the pool, across from the beach in Santa Monica. I had the "Viceroy Scramble" with wild mushrooms and almonds. Yum.
www.viceroysantamonica.com Scott's tips:
Darnell Sue's blog. Follow some of Seattle's hippest happenings:
blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/girlabouttown
Mini-motel. Check out this self-contained mini-tent for unplanned airport layovers. $50 includes mattress, mini-tent, eyeshades, reading light, alarm clock and earplugs. www.minimotel.net
Power breakfast. We dined by the pool, across from the beach in Santa Monica. I had the "Viceroy Scramble" with wild mushrooms and almonds. Yum. www.viceroysantamonica.com
SCOTT MCMURREN
TRAVEL